Support Reading Comprehension
A commonly used reading comprehension strategy is to teach students how to find the main idea. But how does this strategy work?
To support students’ understanding and to help lessen their cognitive demands, the research recommends that educators explicitly teach students about how a paragraph can be organized. What Works Clearinghouse offers recommendations for improving reading comprehension in early readers. Specifically, they suggest that educators “teach students to identify and use the text organizational structure to comprehend, learn, and remember content” (Shanahan et al, 2010, p. 17). They go on to assert that research related to effective strategies shows that students can retain and understand information better when they are taught how to “recognize the structure of a text” (Shanahan et al, 2010, p. 36).
These recommendations and research demonstrate the effectiveness of explicitly teaching students to apply specific strategies when identifying a reading’s topics, main ideas, and supporting details. As content becomes more challenging, effective comprehension strategies play an even more essential role in student success.
Strategies to Find Topics and Main Ideas
The topic is a word or phrase that states the subject of a text (what it is about) and should be located first. The main idea is the point the author is making about the topic. To locate the topic in a reading selection, encourage students to see whether one word is repeated in the paragraph. While counting, it is important to consider whether the author uses synonyms for a word that might be the topic. A synonym is a word that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another word. For example, “quick” and “fast” are synonyms. It is important to remember that the topic may appear more times in a paragraph when the writer uses synonyms.
The topic sometimes requires a few words to identify and it is important to remember that the topic may appear more times in a paragraph than the writer uses synonyms. What is the topic in the paragraph below?
Adelie penguins are adorable. These are the penguins that are shown in most pictures of penguins. Adelies look like little bowling pins wearing tuxedos. They live in large groups in the south polar regions. At times they can be very funny. It is often enjoyable to watch them as they swim or slide in the snow on their bellies.
The topic is Adelie penguins. The single word “penguins” is too broad, because the author isn’t writing about all different kinds of penguins. The author is only writing about Adelie penguins.
Once the topic has been located, the main idea can then be found. To figure out the main idea, ask this question: What is being said about the person, thing, or idea (the topic)? The main idea can be located in different places within a paragraph. The main idea is usually a sentence, and it is usually the first sentence. The writer then uses the rest of the paragraph to support the main idea.
Let’s use the paragraph below as an example. First, find the topic, then look for the main idea.
New York City is a melting pot of cultures worth celebrating. The city is home to a vibrant tapestry of communities, each contributing unique traditions, foods, and festivals. Walking through neighborhoods like Chinatown, Little Italy, and Harlem offers a taste of the world in a single city. Visitors can enjoy diverse cuisines, from savory dim sum to rich cannoli, and experience cultural celebrations such as the Lunar New Year and the Puerto Rican Day Parade. New York City’s diverse cultures make it a fascinating and enriching place for everyone (OpenAI, 2024).
In this paragraph:
- The topic is New York City.
- The main idea (what the writer is saying about the topic) is that the diversity of cultures in New York City make it an interesting place.
Here is another example:
Avengers: Endgame was a blockbuster for the summer of 2019. It is an exciting story about superheroes coming together to save the universe. In the movie, the Avengers face immense challenges as they try to reverse the devastating effects of Thanos’ snap. People in the audience are on the edge of their seats, eagerly anticipating each twist and turn. What makes it even more thrilling is the culmination of over a decade of interconnected storylines and character development in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (OpenAI, 2024).
In this paragraph:
- The topic is the move Avengers: Endgame.
- The main idea is in the first sentence: Avengers: Endgame was a blockbuster in the summer of 2019.
Other Main Idea Locations
While the main idea is usually in the first sentence, the next most common placement is in the last sentence of a paragraph. The author gives supporting information first and then makes the point in the last sentence.
Here’s a paragraph we can use as an example. Try to locate the topic and the main idea.
Most teenagers and young adults do not know what they want to do for the rest of their lives. It is a big decision. There are a number of things you can do to narrow the choices. For example, you can take an interest test, do some research on your own about a career, try volunteer work in the field in which you are interested, or “job-shadow”, in which you spend a day with a person who is working in a field that interests you. These are just a few helpful ideas as you begin to choose a career.
In this paragraph:
- The topic is jobs or career choices.
- The main idea is a few ideas to help the reader choose a career.
Finally, an author might put the main idea in the middle of a paragraph. The author will spend a few sentences introducing the topic, present the main idea, and then spend the rest of the paragraph supporting it. This can make the main idea more difficult to find.
Try to find the topic and main idea in the paragraph below.
The United States seems to be in love with the idea of going out to eat. Because of this, a real variety of restaurants has come about specializing in all kinds of foods. McDonald’s is the king of a subgroup of restaurants called fast-food restaurants. Chances are, no matter where you live, there is a McDonald’s restaurant near you. There are even McDonald’s in the Soviet Union. Now McDonald’s is trying something new. It is called McDonald’s Express and there is a test site in Peabody, Massachusetts. It is part of a Mobil gas station. This allows you to fill up with gas and fill up on food at the same time. What will they think of next?
In this paragraph:
- The topic is McDonald’s.
- The main idea is in the middle of the paragraph, in the third sentence: McDonald’s is the king of fast food.
Overall, when students can effectively identify topics and main ideas, they can more easily comprehend the point of a text or lecture. These prerequisite skills provide the backdrop for managing academic language and information.
Reference
Shanahan, T., Callison, K., Carriere, C., Duke, N. K., Pearson, P. D., Schatschneider, C., & Torgesen, J. (2010). Improving reading comprehension in kindergarten through 3rd grade: A practice guide (NCEE 2010-4038). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved from whatworks.ed.gov/publications/practiceguides.
